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Tuesday, February 10, 2015

CITIZENFOUR, the Oscar Nominated Documentary About Edward Snowden, Will Debut Exclusively on HBO This Month

I was kinda hoping to check out this Oscar-nominated documentary about Edward Snowden before the awards on February 22nd, but I still have not gotten a chance to. And it looks like I won't, since the film will debut exclusively on HBO after the award ceremony on February 23rd at 9pm EST (which makes me wonder how well the ratings will do if it loses the Oscar...).

Truthfully, I wasn't very interested in the CITIZENFOUR at first because the premise didn't really interest me. But of course once folks started talking about it, it turned into one of those "must-see" films that have to see just to be a part of the conversation. I may not be able to catch it before the Oscars, but it looks like I'll have plenty of other times to watch it as the network has planned several other airings of the film:

In case you're unfamiliar with CITIZENFOUR, here's more about it in the synopsis:

Directed by Oscar® nominee Laura Poitras ("My Country, My Country"), CITIZENFOUR is a real-life international thriller that unfolds by the minute. With unprecedented access, this gripping behind-the-scenes chronicle follows Poitras and journalist Glenn Greenwald's remarkable encounters with Edward Snowden in a Hong Kong hotel room as he hands over classified documents that provide evidence of mass indiscriminate and illegal invasions of privacy by the National Security Agency (NSA).

Poitras had been working on a film about surveillance for two years when Snowden contacted her, using the name "Citizenfour," in Jan. 2013. He reached out to Poitras because he knew she was a longtime target of government surveillance who had refused to be intimidated. When Snowden told Poitras he would not conceal his identity as the source of information on the massive surveillance of Americans by the NSA, Poitras persuaded him to meet in person and let her film their encounter.

CITIZENFOUR places viewers in the hotel room with Poitras, Greenwald and Snowden as they attempt to manage the media storm raging outside, forced to make quick decisions that will affect their lives and all around them. The documentary not only shows the dangers of governmental surveillance, but makes audiences feel them. After seeing the film, viewers will never think the same way about their phone, e-mail, credit cards, web browser or digital footprint again.

If any of you have already seen the documentary, let me know what you think of it in the comments.

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More About Reel Talk Online and Its Founder

Writer for hire, Lover of Snark, Former editor at Essence Magazine and Co-Host of the podcast, "Cinema in Noir".
I am mostly freelance writing right now, more so than blogging. You can find my work on The Mary Sue, Vice, Harper's Bazaar, Hello Beautiful, Thrillist, Birth.Movies.Death, and /Film. (https://www.clippings.me/candicefrederick)
I am also a member of the Online Film Critics Society, Alliance of Women Film Journalists, and LAMB (Large Association of Movie Bloggers). My aim for this blog is to write honest, compelling film reviews and commentary that highlight my perspective on film, TV and diversity in pop culture.